The Cat Who Lived a Million Times
by UtsuhoTetsuya
Summary: Akashi Seijuurou was a boastful cat that had lived a million times. There was one cat however that didn't seem to really care about the cat's marvelous stories. It was a black cat named Kuroko Tetsuya. AkaKuro. Rated T


Ok, firstly, this story was based on a Japanese poem under the same title. Go check it out. It's pretty sad so I changed the ending and storyline so that it'll be sadder hahahahaha

Enjoy reading this~ It's a really sweet poem, so this is a really sweet story~ ^.^

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**The Cat Who Lived a Million Times**

My name is Ogiwara. I have served my mistress for as long as I can remember. My mistress takes the life from beings when their time has come. I would simply assist her when she asks me too. I follow her everyday around the world. My mistress is very kind. Once, she allowed a dying human to live until he was old enough to attend his only daughter's wedding. There was also once a dying dog that was saved by a little girl but after a few days, the little girl went away. My mistress showed the dog the way to the little girl. It took the dog 10 years to find her, but in the remaining few hours of its life, it managed to die peacefully in her arms.

I could never argue with her decisions because she always knew how to evaluate the value of every being's life. There was one odd creature that I could never question; the cat that lived a million times. My mistress would take its life when it was time, but the cat would always return back to life by my mistress's administration. I never understood why she did so. More than a million people loved that cat in all its beautiful reincarnated forms. And when the cat died, a million people were sad and had cried. But, that cat didn't even cry once in any of its lifetime.

And so, every few years, we would come to take the cat's life. Each time, the cat had a distinct owner that loved it.

Once, the cat belonged to an emperor. The emperor loved the cat and would take it anywhere with him, especially during festivals and feasts. The emperor was proud and boastful. He was very good at war and was always looking out for trouble. The cat hated war, but one day, the king put it into a splendid cage and brought him to the battlefield after he initiated a war with a neighbouring kingdom. He stood on the sidelines and watched the war unfold. Not too long after that, the emperor's position was discovered. Hurriedly, he tried to escape from view. The emperor escaped death but the cat died instantly when a sharp, stray arrow pierced its body. The emperor eventually ended the war and took the cat to be buried in his palace garden. I watched as the emperor sighed and shed a single tear.

Once, the cat was a sailor's cat. The cat hated the ocean. It hated the salty water and all that made its fur wet but the sailor loved it. The cat rode a boat that travelled through all the world's seas and saw the world's various harbours. It travelled far and long as it clung onto the sailor's comfortable shoulder. One day, the sailor took out his telescope to call out the direction when the boat accidentally tipped to the side. The cat fell off the sailor's shoulder and out of the boat, into the sea. Since the cat couldn't swim, the sailor hurriedly scooped the cat up onto the boat using a net. Unfortunately, the cat was soaked through. It died in the sailor's arms. In a faraway bay-side town, on a green hill, the sailor buried the cat under a huge tree. I watched as the sailor cried, choking sobs through clenched teeth.

Once, the cat was a magic trick cat for a circus group, The Troops. The cat hated the circus. Everyday, the magician would put the cat in a box and saw it in half to amaze the crowds. Then, he would take the cat out of the trunk as though it was in the box. Oh, how the magician adored the crowd's claps and cheers. It was always the same trick that was performed. One day, the magician made an awful mistake and really did saw the cat in half. The crowd became as silent as a graveyard after seeing the horrifying accident. With shaky hands, the magician held the halves of the cat. He fell onto his knees and hung his head in sorrow. Later that evening, the magician buried the cat underneath one of the circus' small tents. I watched as the magician cried mutely without saying a single word.

Once, the cat belonged to a large boy. The cat hated children though. But the boy loved the cat and carried the cat in his arms. The boy was a lonely boy the cat thought. When the boy cried, he would cry on the cat's back as he held it tightly. The boy loved snacks and all types of junkfood. He even shared some candy and sweets with the cat. Every night, the boy would sleep with the cat softly purring beside him; lulling him to sleep. One particular night, under the boy's large body, the cat was crushed and suffocated to death. The boy held the loose-limbed cat and started wailing as tears came flowing down his cheeks. The boy hugged the cat and cried into its soft fur. Then, the boy buried the cat under a tree in his garden. I watched as the boy spent the whole day crying in front of the cat's grave.

A lot of people were sad over the cat's death. They cried and cried but the cat didn't cry even once. Because the cat didn't really mind dying.

Once, the cat was no one's cat. It was a wild and stray cat. This was the first time it was its own cat. The cat loved itself and declared its name to be Akashi Seijuurou. It was originally a beautiful cat with soft, silky scarlet fur, long, bushy tail, pointy, big ears and round red yellow heterochromia eyes. Throughout the million lives it lived, it never changed its features which was why every cat in the world was familiar with Akashi. Many female cats wanted to become that cat's bride. The female cats would flirt with it, groom its fur clean, and constantly pester it about choosing its bride.

"I've died a million times!" the cat would always say in a boastful manner. Akashi was narcissistic; it didn't love anyone more than itself. Since most of the female cats wanted to become its wife, all the male cats envied the cat. No cat wanted to befriend him for who he really was. Akashi used to explore alleys and meet new cats just to boast about his endless tales as the cat that had lived over and over again. But there was one cat that didn't seem to take notice of the boastful cat; a black male cat that looked small for its age. Akashi went over to the black cat and said, "I've already died a million times!"

The black cat simply replied, "I see."

Akashi was a little angry since it liked itself so much and couldn't accept that another cat didn't share the same opinion. So the next day and the following days after, the red cat would go to where the black cat was and continued telling it, "Like I said, I've already lived a million times! You still haven't finished living once right?"

The black cat replied, "Yes, that's correct."

Akashi was so annoyed, "…tch. I'm different from you! I've lived with a bunch of cool owners! I've been… an emperor's cat, I lived in the palace! I've also played throughout the seven seas! Since I was also a circus cat, my reflexes are outstanding and I can imitate the humans!"

The black cat smiled softly and laughed as the red cat balanced itself on an abandoned ball. This one act of acknowledgement, made the cat feel appreciated, "Can you be my friend?" it asked eventually.

The black cat smiled happily, "Of course."

Akashi had finally found a friend. The black cat introduced itself as Kuroko Tetsuya. From then on, the red cat was always seen with the black cat. During Spring, they would frolic in vast field of flowers, chasing each other happily. One time, Kuroko was sniffing a bug when it realized Akashi was nowhere to be seen. Kuroko craned its neck over the tall grass and flowers, "Akashi?" Kuroko started pacing and sniffing through the plants, "Akashi? You there?"

"Hiah!" screamed Akashi as the red cat pounced on Kuroko from behind. The two laughed as they rolled over one another, trying to pin the other to the ground. Akashi won of course with its much bigger body. Kuroko was still laughing from underneath the red cat. All of a sudden, Kuroko licked Akashi's head, taking the red cat completely by surprise. The black cat smiled, "We'll always be friends right?"

Akashi could only smile fondly, "Of course, Tetsuya."

They also loved fishing during Summer when the lake was always cool and refreshing. There was once when Akashi found a huge rock by at the bank where the red cat stood on with its chest puffed out. He raised one paw, "Peasant, catch me a fish."

Kuroko rolled its baby blue eyes before pushing Akashi into the lake, "In your dreams your highness."

Akashi fell into the waters with a yelp but never resurfaced. Kuroko got extremely worried so the black cat peered over the water, "Akashi…?"

The red cat popped out of the water and wrapped its upper limbs around Kuroko's neck, pulling the black cat into the water. The two laughed and splashed water at each other. They'd catch fish and eat them together. Some days when the other was sick, they would stay together, curling beside each other until the other got better. On a regular basis, they would lick each other, cleaning each other's fur tentatively. Kuroko especially loved bathing Akashi and the red cat adored his bath time because Kuroko's tongue was very soft.

During Fall, Akashi and Kuroko would play in the dried leaves before cuddling next to each other, taking a nice cat nap. They loved the breeze and wild mushrooms that grew everywhere. Kuroko however hated to play with mud, complaining that bath time would take tediously long. They didn't mind the rain though. Akashi would often be seen in the rain with Kuroko, racing from place to place, laughing when the other skidded or stepped in a puddle.

In the cold winter, the two cats wouldn't do or move much. They would often search for shelter together before using each other's warmth to sleep. During sunny daytime they'd find food and store them for any blizzards. Kuroko was most sensitive to the cold so Akashi would usually go hunting for food alone, telling Kuroko to stay put. Akashi always put Kuroko before himself.

From then on, no one just knew about the red cat, but everyone also knew the black cat that was always with the red cat. Akashi had lost count the amount of times a human had wanted to take it in but the red cat knew that the humans despised a black cat like Kuroko. Without fail, Akashi rejected any human contact. Unless the humans were kind to Kuroko too, Akashi would never step near them or accept their food. They called black cats as unlucky creatures. Akashi remembered when he saw how Kuroko had hung its head low when other cats teased its existence. The red cat had defended Kuroko and fought off the other cats. Akashi later nudged its head against Kuroko and licked the black cat comfortingly. That was the first time Kuroko had purred alongside Akashi. Ever since then, the two had purred a lot more in each other's presence.

No one had ever seen Akashi so happy and carefree. Akashi loved Kuroko and would never ever want to lose its one and only friend. Everyone also noticed how both of Akashi's eyes had turned the same shade of red instead of being two different colors. Akashi found it weird while Kuroko simply smiled and said, "No, you look the same to me." Akashi smiled and could never ask for another friend like Kuroko. He was thankful, day and night for having Kuroko by its side.

Sadly, on their 10th Spring together, on the very anniversary of the day they had met, something seemed wrong. The red cat never made a big deal of their anniversary but it knew that that was the only day when Kuroko would do everything Akashi wanted. They had taken a nap under a shady tree next to their favorite field of flowers. Akashi woke up first and stretched its hind limbs. The red cat looked to its side where the black cat was still curled up.

Akashi nudged Kuroko's head playfully, "Tetsuya, let's play in the field."

Kuroko did not move. The red cat didn't mind at first and decided to lick behind Kuroko's ear, knowing how ticklish Kuroko was there, "C'mon, you can't sleep forever you know?"

Still, Kuroko did not move. Akashi licked Kuroko's face and nudged the black cat's body, "Tetsuya…?" Akashi suddenly remembered the days they had frolic through the flowers, "W-We'll go play! In the field!" And the days they swam in the lake and splashed water at each other's faces, "We'll go…catch birds…and-" The days they had climbed trees and played in the dried leaves, "…We'll go…together…"

The whispering wind blew the tree leaves gently past them. Akashi finally stood back and stared at the lifeless black cat, "…together…" Their memories of being beside each other replayed over and over again in Akashi's mind as tears flowed continuously from its swollen red eyes. This was the first time the red cat had cried since it was born. The cat that had already died a million times raised its voice and cried sorrowfully, its heart completely broken by the lost of its only friend. It cried and cried until it became night, then day, then night again. Over and over, Akashi cried desperately and mournfully for Kuroko.

One day, Akashi laid next to Kuroko and quietly, it too stopped moving.

I watched with teary eyes when my mistress collected the cat's life after taking the black cat's a few days ago. I saw my mistress smile as she held their souls and set them free, together. After all these years, she finally ended the cat's life. The cat was never born again. It took her so long to set the cat free. She had forced the cat to live for so many years and yet only after taking its friend's life, did my mistress take the cat's life completely. To this day, I still don't know why she did it.

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**Author's Note**: I posted this on FB and a lot of my friends were like, "I AM NOT OK." Hahahaha, trust me, I wasn't ok writing it but...argh I just wanted an AkaKuro version not just because I ship them but also because I can't help but picture Kuroko saving Akashi from his high horse of mightyness. This story was one way of saying it. So...tissues anyone? lololololol

Nah, it isn't that sad. But if you did cry or get teary-eyed, I'm sorry and thank you for such a compassionate response towards this story of mine~

AND THANKS ADILA FOR HELPING ME POST THIS I LOVE YOU ARGH


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